Bottle-crate.



PATENTED APR, 7, 1903.

W. E. BROWN. BOTTLE CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7. 1902.

K0 MODEL.

' M am I UNITED STATES i PATENT OFFICE:

WILLIAM E. BROWN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO BROWN- WINSTANLEY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, NIA, A CORPORATIONOF CALIFORNIA.

OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFOR- f BOTTLE-CRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 24,797, dated April '7, 1903.

I Application filed November 7,1 02. Serial No. 130,366. (No model) To all whom, it may concern: I

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. BROWN, of Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented c'ertain new and useful Improvements in Bottle Orates; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. 1

This invention relates to that class of hottle-crates having a convertible portion designed to serve as a cover during shipment and as a pedestal to facilitate emptying the receptacle.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims. v

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View showing the cover locked on the crate. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the cover used as a pedestal. Fig. 3 shows the locking members.

In an application for patent, Serial No. 112,524, filed June 20, 1902, I have shown and described abottle-crate and convertible cover, the latter having spring-actuated pins on its arms or cleats and the body portion of the crate provided with runways having recesses at either end designed to accommodate such pins. By my present invention I contemplate improving upon the means for securing the parts and locking themin proper relation to each other. 4

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates, a crate having a bottom 2, corner-posts 3, and side bars 4, such posts terminating at their upper ends a short distance below the plane of the upper side bars.

5 is the convertible hood-section. (Shown in Fig. 1 as the cover for the crate and in Fig. 2 as a pedestal therefor.) Its posts 6 extend beyond the side bars 7, so as to fit within the corners of the crate, against the upper ends of the posts thereof, thus securing the hood as against lateral displacement.

To opposite sides of the crate are secured vertical plates 8, formed each with a longitudinal slot 9, terminating at its ends in an enlarged circular hole 10. To the sides of the hood or cover corresponding to those of the plate on which plates 8 are located are socured arms or cleats 12, each having a pin 13 extending laterally therefrom. are circular in cross-section and their bodies 14 are of diameter corresponding to holes 10. Between the bodies 14. and the outer end heads 15 each pin is formed with a neck 16 of reduced diameter to accommodate the pins to the slots 9.

Those portions of the side bars of the hood over which the guide-plates extend are cut out to accommodate theheads of the pivotpins and allow of the raising and lowering of the hood, the cut-outs being to a depth equal to the length of the pins beyond plates 8. The arms or cleats 12 are normally perpendicular and about flush-with the crate, but are designed to permit of a slight spring action, so they may be pulled outward and away fromthe crate. Thus the pins 13, WI1l16 normally in the planes of the plates-8, and in consequence when in alinement with holes '10 their bodies 14 are seated within the latter, may by a slight outward force appliedto the cleats cause the necks 16 to be brought in line with the slots, when the hood may be moved up or down until the pins and". the ends ofthe slots are coincident, whereupon the cleats, which have been held distended by engagement of the outer ends of the bodies 14 with the plates, will spring inwardly into holes 10.

When the hood serves as a pedestal, the bodies 14 of the pins permit a free rocking of the crate thereon without danger of displacement.

In'practice the convertiblese ction serving as either a hood or pedestal the operator, in order to change its oftice,'-'grasps the cleats and pushes them. outwardfrom the crate sufficiently to permit the reduced portions of the pins to aline with the slots and after moving the hood through a half-revolution until it is above or beneath the crate, as the case may be, allows a relative movement between the pins and the slotted plates until'the pins and the holes opposite to those in which they were previously seated are in alinement, when the spring action of the cleats will cause the pins These pins to snap into the holes, securely locking the parts together, the cleats being free to so move inward once the shouldered portions of the pins are free of engagement with the plates.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination with the crate, of the convertible hood therefor, opposite plates secured to the crate having vertical slots or runways and enlarged seats at the ends thereof, locking means carried by the hood, comprising pins designed to fit in said seats and having reduced portions to accommodate the pins to said slots, said pins being capable of being moved outward to permit said reduced portion to aline with said slots, for the purpose stated.

2. The combination with the crate, of the convertible hood therefor, plates secured to opposite sides of the crate having vertical slots or runways enlarged at their ends, pins carried by the hood having theirbodies formed to correspond with such enlarged ends and also having reduced portions at the ends of such bodies designed to conform to said slots, said pins being moved outward to permit such reduced portions to aline with said slots, for the purpose stated.

larged at their ends, of the convertible hood having pins formed with reduced portions and heads or flanges on said reduced portions,

said pins designed to be seated in the enlarged ends of the slots and normally in the planes of said plates but capable of being moved outward, for the purpose stated, said heads limiting such outward movement.

4. The combination with the crate having opposite plates formed with vertical slots terminating at their ends in enlarged holes, of the convertible hood, cleats secured thereto and pins extending inwardly from the free ends of such cleats, such pins having bodies conforming to said holes and reduced necks conforming to said slots, and heads located on the sides of the plates away from the cleats, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification iu the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM E. BRO \VN.

Witnesses:

CHAS. B. WARREN, F. WINSTANLEY. 

